The Chicago Cubs are expected to have an active offseason by either acquiring a top free agent or one of the top trade targets and maybe even one of each. They're also looking for a way to maximize Christopher Morel's talent and that probably means finding the right-handed hitting slugger a new position.
Earlier this week, Jed Hoyer talked about Morel playing first base during Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic. Morel, who was called up in May this past season, spent most of the year as the Cubs' designated hitter, but also started multiple games at five other positions and once at shortstop. Unfortunately, Morel didn't exactly excel defensively, while the Cubs already having players locked in around the field limited his time at any one spot. Plus, it seemed early on, even when Morel was still at Triple-A, that his throwing issues did not make him a serious contender to be the third baseman.
So, what now? Well, it's not like Morel can't be good on defense. His best spot is probably second base, but the Cubs aren't moving gold glove winner Nico Hoerner anytime soon. As fans, we want Morel to be the answer at third base, but like I mentioned above, the red flags on his throwing are so alarming that even when the Cubs were desperate for some offense, Morel couldn't be trusted at the hot corner.
Trying Morel out at first base may end up being a win-win for the Cubs no matter what. Let's say his athleticism allows Morel to be actually be pretty good at first base. The Cubs would then have their answer there and well more importantly that also opens up the DH spot for...Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto?
On the flip side, the Cubs obviously want to raise Morel's trade value and the easy way to do that is show that he can indeed contribute on the field and not be restricted to a DH-role only.
“I think he’s a very capable second baseman,” Hoyer said. “We have a guy that’s won a Gold Glove [Nico Hoerner], so that’s not the spot we’re gonna put him.
“I think another team might be able to put him there and have him do that. I think it’s both marrying those things. We have really two capable corner outfielders [Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki]. I think that’s why some of the conversations around first base make sense because it kinda fits what we need a little bit and fits our needs and potentially his needs.”
In his second MLB season, Morel hit 26 home runs with a slash line of .247/.313/.508, posting a healthy 119 wRC+ in 429 plate appearances. He still struck out at a high rate, 31%, but his numbers were better across the board compared to his rookie season in 2022. Morel, who won't be 25-years-old until next June, is arbitration eligible until 2026 and isn't a free agent until 2029.
The Cubs are also exploring other first-base options this offseason, including Pete Alonso from the New York Mets and there's also a potential fit with free agent Rhys Hoskins, who may be looking to sign a similar deal that Cody Bellinger signed with the Cubs last offseason. Hoskins, 30, missed all of 2023, after he suffered a torn ACL in spring training.
And of course, the Cubs are also going to be involved in Bellinger's market this offseason.
With first base coming up in conversations this week, I'm reminded of Matt Mervis. The 25-year-old was as popular of a minor league player as there comes among Cubs fans early in 2023, but after a one-month look in the majors, he's not really in the mix anymore.
As much as we wanted Mervis to be the guy, it never seemed like the Cubs believed and now there are clearly better options to pursue, including trying Morel at first. Mervis will remain on the 40-man roster, but he's likely headed toward the Alfonso Rivas/Jared Young territory of guys who have good numbers at Triple-A, but the Cubs only view them as depth options and not true MLB starters.
Maybe you can call it ignorance, but looking back now, Cubs fans should have been clued in that the team didn't think Mervis was ever going to be their answer at first base because not only did they sign Eric Hosmer, they followed that up by signing Trey Mancini, too. The 2023 season would have been the perfect time to see if Mervis could cut it in the majors and he was barely given a shot. Now? Well, now the Cubs should and probably will pursue more proven options, while Mervis remains at Triple-A.
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